HEATHROW plunged into turmoil this weekend after a suspected cyber attack.
It caused check-in systems to collapse at several major European airports.
The meltdown was linked to Collins Aerospace, a firm that runs check-in and boarding services for a string of airlines.
The so-called "technical issue" sparked cancellations and delays across the continent, with 14 flights scrapped in Brussels and chaos erupting at Heathrow, Berlin and Dublin.
Heathrow Airport cyber attacks
Furious passengers complained they couldn't check in online and were forced into hours-long queues.
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Travellers described being herded between desks and departure gates, only to discover their flights were going nowhere.
One stranded flyer branded the scenes an "absolute nightmare" after a day from hell.
Passenger was 'left in tears'
Helen Steel, 49, set off from Dorset at 3am with her cat Thomas to catch a flight home to Oslo.
Instead, she claims she was "shouted at by staff" who told her she wouldn't be able to fly until Sunday.
"I've got an animal here, so I'm very concerned about his welfare," she told Sky News.
"I've been shouted at twice and I broke down in tears because I was worried about him."
Travellers describe 'chaos everywhere'
Sam, who arrived at Heathrow to drop his girlfriend off for a flight to Rio, said he ended up stuck at the airport for more than seven hours.
"When we arrived it was chaos everywhere," he told Sky News.
According to Sam, "nobody seemed to know what was going on".
After three hours in line, the pair were told the plane wasn't flying at all.
"It's been a bit of a farce," he fumed.
Which airlines are affected?
A Heathrow spokesperson urged passengers not to arrive more than three hours before their flights and apologised for the disruption.
British Airways flights at Terminal 5 were confirmed to be running as normal.
Meanwhile, Collins Aerospace admitted its Muse software had been hit by a "cyber-related disruption".
The company said the glitch was limited to check-in and baggage systems and insisted staff could fall back on manual operations.
Is Russia behind the suspected cyber attack?
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller demanded urgent answers from the Government.
"After the flagrant violation of Estonian airspace, the Government needs to urgently establish if Vladimir Putin is now attacking our cyber systems," he warned.
The European Commission stressed that while it was monitoring the situation, there was no evidence of a "widespread or severe" assault.
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